A two-year-old child and an adult male have died following a house fire in Phoenix, north of Durban, on Tuesday morning.
Three other occupants were left critically injured in the blaze.
According to KZN VIP, emergency services were alerted after residents heard cries for help coming from a home within a residential complex.
Neighbours and community members rushed to the scene and attempted to force open the doors to reach those trapped inside.
KZN VIP dispatched emergency medical teams and requested assistance from the Fire Department as the property became engulfed in flames.
Community members eventually managed to force open a door and pull the occupants from the burning house.
However, paramedics declared the two-year-old child and adult male dead at the scene.
The three critically injured patients were stabilised before being transported to medical facilities under advanced life support care.
The Fire Department managed to extinguish the blaze before it could spread to neighbouring properties.
SAPS, Metro Police and other emergency services also attended the scene.
The cause of the fire and the circumstances surrounding the incident have not yet been established.